Display-case.



M. L. WEBSTER. DISPLAY CASE.

APPLIOATIOK FILED MAY 18, 1911.

Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

W|tnesse Inventor,

. Attorney;

MELVIN L/WEBSTER, or INDEPENDENCE, IOWA.

DISPLAY-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 18, 1911.

Patented Aug. 26,1913. Serial No. 627,924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELv1N L. WEBSTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Independence, in the county of Buchanan and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Display-Case, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to display cases.

The object of the invention is to provide an article of this character designed moreparticularly forthe display of packages of seeds, in which the contained articles will be disposed in a manner best calculated to permit of their being handled and examined, and which further, shall be adapted for use as a shipping case in which the packages may be stored and shipped with the same degree of facility and safety .as that attending the employment of an ordinary shipping box or crate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement of trays to contain the packaged goods, and which shall be so disposed within the case or body, that when the latter is adjusted to the angle best adapted to exhibit the wares, the trays will automatically assume a perpendicular position to cause their bottoms to lie in a horizontal plane, the trays being so proportioned and supported for swinging movement in the case as to cause the front edge of the lower one to rest upon'the adjacent walls of the case, and the like edge of the .next sutxreeding tray to rest upon the rear upper edge of the subjacent tray, thus to support the trays firmly in position against dropping.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel COIlSiIllCtlOll and combination of parts of a display case, as will hereinafter be fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a display case-constructed in accordance wth the present invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transvers'esectional view. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, showing the case as it appears when used for shipping purposes. v

The article consists of a case or box 1 which may be of any size, and has hinged to.

its back or bottom a pair of legs 2 by which it is supported in an inclined position as clearly shown in Fig. 2.- Arranged within theca'se, for swinging movement therein, are in this instance two superimposed trays, each of whlch is acounterpart of the other, sothat a description of one will serve for both. The tray embodies a bottom 3, end or side walls 4, a relatively low front wall 5, and a relatively high .rear or back wall 6. The tray is divided by partitions 7 into, compart-- ments or cells of which any preferred number may be utilized. In order to facilitate the exhibition and handling of the articles contained in the-compartments, the upper edges of the partitions and end or side walls of the tray are cut away on compound curves connecting the upper edges of the front and back or rear walls. The trays are supported for swinging movements in the case by cross rods 8, which pass through the side walls of the case adjacent its bottom, and through the side walls and partitions of the trays within the .corners between the rear walls and bottoms of the respective trays. These rods are so positioned, that when the case is in the posit-ion shown in Fi 2 and the-trays automatically drop or swing outwardly to perpendicular position, the front edgepf the bottom of the'lower tray will engage with the front wall of the case, and the free portion of the bottom of the upper tray will rest upon the upper edge of the rear wall of the bottom tray, thus maintaining the trays in proper position. While only two trays have been shown, in this in stance, it is to be understood that any greater number may be employed, and as this will be obvious, detailed description of any modified form of the structure is deemed unnecessary.

In order to protect the legs 2 from injury when the structure is used as a shipping case, as shown in Fig. 3-, the bottom 9 of *the case is inset with relation to the end walls 10 and rear wall 11, forming thereby a three membered guard 12 that outstands a distance equal to the thickness of the legs,

so that when the latter are in folded position, (see Fig. 3),they will not be subject to injury from knocks or blows. When utilized as a shipping case, a front wall 13 is employed, which may be screwed to the caseto permit of its ready removal withoutmarring the latter. I

From the foregoing descrlption 1t Wlll be seen that while the improvements herein described are simple in character, they will case, and one that will have a function in addition to structures of this character in common use, namely, that it maybe employed as a shipping case.

Havin thus fully described the invention, what is c aimed is: v

A display device comprising a box designed to stand in an inclined position; a pair of superimposed trays disposed therein, each embodying a bottom, relatively low and high front and back walls of, respectively, and side walls and partitions connecting the upper edges of the front and back walls; and cross rods passed through the side walls of the box adjoining its bottom,

and through the side walls and partitions of the trays within the'corners between the back walls and bottoms of the respective trays, the cross rods being so disposed that the front edge of the bottom 7 of the lower tray strikes the front wall of thebox when the lower tray is swung outwardly, and that the free portion of the bottom of the upper tray strikes the upper edge of the back wall of the lower tray when the upper tray is swung outwardly.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing 30 as my own, I'have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MELVIN L. WEBSTER. Witnesses:

E. A. OoMroR'r, ETHEL FARRIS. 

